CELEBRATE-IMITATE OUR 3-IN-1 GOD
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We cannot gather as usual for the Eucharist. But we are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
The Sign of the Cross
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Trinity. We celebrate the uniqueness and the loving communion of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Let us pray that we may celebrate our uniqueness and build communion in our families, in our communities, in our parishes, and in our society.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times, we have not celebrated our uniqueness, have failed to build communion, and have been forces of division, let us ask the Lord for pardon.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you revealed to us a Father who cares deeply for us:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you loved us to the extent of giving your life for us:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you pour out on us the Spirit of unity and love:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Gloria
Opening Prayer
L: God our Father,
you have given us a share in the life that is yours
with your Son and the Holy Spirit.
Strengthen that life within your Church,
that we may know your presence,
observe your commands,
and proclaim the gospel to every nation.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40
Psalm Psalm 33:4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22
Response Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Reading 2 Romans 8:14-17
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;
to God who is, who was, and who is to come.
Gospel Matthew 28:16-20
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Be with the disciples on “the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.” What are your thoughts and feelings when you hear him to give you the missionary mandate and when he assures you that he is “with you always”?
Sunday Snippets
Multi-tasking is a way of life today... with many multi-function devices to help us! Think about the 3-in-1 stylus-laser pointer-pen. AIO printers print-copy-scan-fax. Today’s smartphones do virtually everything! With all these multi-functioning devices, it shouldn’t be difficult to accept the notion that one God can exist as three persons!
Our God is “multi-function” (though we ought not to reduce God to function)! It is proper to attribute the work of creation to the Father; the work of healing and redemption to the Son; and the work of guidance to the Spirit. Three unique persons with three distinct functions!
These unique persons live in community. God is a family!
John’s Gospel highlights the fundamentally social/communitarian nature of God. John 1:18 speaks of the “Son who is close to the Father’s heart.” John 10:30 reads: “My Father and I are one.” In John 6:20, Jesus tells his disciples: “It is I (in Greek I am), do not be afraid.” In five other places, Jesus uses the absolute “I am”, which recalls Exodus 3:14, where Yahweh revealed his name to Moses: “I am who am.”
The Greek Fathers use the word perichoresis (“dancing together”) to describe this loving communion of the Trinity. The Father, Son, and Spirit live in perfect communion, which is essentially a “being there” for one another.
What are the implications of the doctrine of the Trinity for us?
Created in the image and likeness of a trinitarian God, we have similar attributes!
First, we are unique; we want to be recognized and accepted as individuals. We don’t want to be clones.
Second, we desire to be in community/communion; we achieve this not by negating/denying differences, but by respecting/nurturing our diversity and blending our differences.
Third, like the Father, we are called to be creative and to contribute to building up; like the Son, we are called to reconcile and to mend broken relationships; Like the Spirit, it is our task to teach and to dispel ignorance.
How will I live out the doctrine of the Trinity in my life: will I respect myself and others as unique persons, and form communion and community by blending differences? Will I become a creative contributor, healer, and guide?
May we celebrate and imitate our 3-in-1 God!
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: Moses heard the voice of God from a burning bush. What about me: where do I hear the voice of God?
Reading 2: Paul writes that we “received a Spirit of adoption, through whom we cry, Abba, Father!” What impact that does adoption have on me, my attitude, my action?
Gospel: Consider the loving relationship that exists between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. How do I imitate the example of the Trinity in my relationships?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: Through the Son, we come to the Father with prayers inspired by the Spirit, and pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that our experiences of God may help us recognize his love, presence, and action in our lives and empower us to faithful service, we pray…
R: For the world: that all people may learn from the mutuality of the Trinity and make relationships more life giving and of greater service to others, we pray…
R: For those isolated from God and the human family: that they may experience welcome and acceptance as they encounter the Christian community, we pray…
R: For families and communities: that the unity of the Trinity may inspire us to cooperate and collaborate more fully with those with whom we share life each day, we pray…
R: For stewardship of earth’s resources: that we may be good stewards of God’s creation and strive to protect it for future generations, we pray…
R: For all of us: that we may imitate our Trinitarian God in cherishing our uniqueness and building communion, we pray…
L: Ever-loving and One God, we know and love you as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Make us and our communities grow in this knowledge and love. Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
The hymn This World You Have Made celebrates God’s love for us made manifest in his creation, which includes each one of us! We rejoice in the beauty of God’s and our world and thank him for creating it and us.
Watch This World You Have Made
or pray
Lord,
we believe you are one God: Father, Son, and Spirit;
you are three unique persons
with absolute equality and absolute unity.
Thus, you are, for us,
the model towards which we strive as a community:
free individuals with total equality in complete unity.
Help us to recognize and realize
that each of us is a unique individual
equal in dignity
and called to live in communion with other persons
in mutual love.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: Lord our God,
in the strength of your Spirit
help us to be to your people
the lips of your Son that speak
words of compassion and encouragement,
his heart that loves and shares joy,
his will that brings freedom and justice.
Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
